the two of them and their traditions.
‘When I suggested to Daisy that we stayed at home this year, she loved the idea and she also said it would be great to have one or two friends over for lunch and then maybe go to see Anna in the evening. I’m guessing she wants someone else to share the burden of the bad mince pies, but want to guess who she wanted to invite over for lunch?’
Penny felt her smile widen.
‘Well, Bernard was her first choice, but you were a close second.’
Penny laughed. ‘I would love to come for Christmas lunch and I know Bernard would too.’
‘Well, that’s settled then.’
They took a few moments to choose their food and Penny couldn’t help the huge smile spreading over her face as she stared at the choices. This night couldn’t have turned out any more perfect.
Suddenly Henry’s phone vibrated on the table between them. He glanced at the caller ID and he frowned and quickly answered.
‘Daisy, are you OK?’ Henry asked.
Penny couldn’t hear the words but after a few moments of her talking Henry was already out of his seat, yanking on his coat so Penny quickly followed suit.
‘OK, honey, don’t worry. We’re on our way home now, we’ll be with you in about ten or fifteen minutes.’
Penny threw some cash down on the table to cover the drinks and waved at Seb and Amy behind the bar to say they were leaving. Henry grabbed her hand and marched out, still talking to Daisy on the phone.
‘Hang on, Daisy.’ He held the phone away from his head and covered the mouthpiece so Daisy couldn’t hear him. ‘Do you have any candles?’
‘Yes, in the drawer to the left of the cooker. Why, what’s going on?’
‘There’s been a power cut and she’s freaking the fuck out. I’m sorry about our evening.’
‘Don’t apologise, it’s fine. If I was home alone when the power went out, I’d be freaking out too. Let me talk to her, you can drive,’ Penny said, sliding into his car.
Henry passed her the phone as he slammed the car into gear and sped out the car park.
‘Daisy, it’s me, are you OK?’
‘No.’
Penny cleared her throat. ‘Are you alone?’ Henry gave her an odd look but it was entirely possible Josh had come round while they were out, another reason why Daisy had pushed them out the door so hurriedly.
‘Yes. Josh couldn’t come. I’m in pitch darkness, all the lights went out and I’m really fucking scared… Don’t tell my dad I swore.’
‘I won’t. OK, what are you scared about, aliens, ghosts, mad axe murderers?’
‘Don’t give her ideas,’ Henry hissed.
‘Yes, all those things,’ Daisy cried.
‘OK, the house isn’t haunted, I promise you that. I’ve lived there my whole life and never seen a dodgy shadow or had anything moved or go missing. If there’s such a thing as ghosts they don’t live in my house. If aliens were going to come down and destroy the human race, I think they’d likely start with the White House or the Houses of Parliament or the cast of The Only Way Is Essex rather than a little house in the middle of nowhere with one girl and one lazy fat dog.’
Daisy giggled. ‘You have a fair point.’
‘And statistically you are more likely to be murdered by someone you know than by a stranger and as the only people you know in White Cliff Bay are racing along the roads to get to you as we speak and Anna, who is tucked up at home looking after her babies, I think you are safe from that too.’
‘What if it is a stranger and they’re in the house with me right now?’
‘Do you know what the crime rate in White Cliff Bay is? I do, because I had to sit and listen to the yearly crime figures at the White Cliff Bay town council annual meeting two weeks ago.’
Henry took a corner hard and Penny banged her head against the window. She placed a calming hand on his leg; the last thing Daisy needed right now was for them to end up in a ditch because of Henry’s erratic driving. She felt the car slow minutely.
‘So the crime figures. There were five crimes committed in White Cliff Bay this year. Two of them were kids playing music too loudly on Silver Cove beach in the summer, one was a cow getting out of a field and trampling over someone’s garden. Mrs Jacobs complained to the police when her